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Turkey Enchiladas Reviews

Jason Vincent, executive chef of Chicago's Nightwood, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious. His creative take on Thanksgiving leftovers does require some extra prep on Turkey Day—you need to add the enchilada sauce ingredients to the bottom of the turkey's roasting pan—but it's a technique Vincent has perfected over the years and will save you tons of time and effort in the end. "The sauce kind of makes itself," says Vincent.

You can also make this recipe with a roast chicken, but be sure to soak the dried chiles—cover them in boiling water and let sit until softened, 25 to 30 minutes—before adding them to the sauce mixture. Also, have 2 cups of chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth ready, and add it to the roasting pan if the bottom gets too dry.

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4/4

Just made this a second time. Watch out for too much coriander. I don't recommend using all cotija cheese-- too sour. I braised a turkey thigh in the sauce for several hours and shredded that for meat. Maybe add butter next time for some richness alla Marcella Hazan. Otherwise tasty.

forkknifespoon
from Cambridge, MA
/ 04.13.2016

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I modified the ingredients to use what I had, and loved it.
I made it in the summer with about a third of a roasted chicken (leftover), and root vegetables from my CSA including beets, celery root instead of celery stalks, and a turnip. I cut the sauce recipe in half and still had some leftover to freeze. I simmered everything on the stovetop for a couple hours since I had already roasted the chicken earlier in the week. The sauce is so complex and tasty! I considered adding some chickpeas to augment my chicken, but forgot them in the end. Maybe next time.
It seemed like the tortilla count was way off, or I put half the filling per tortilla intended. I used 8 or 9 for one pan (halved the recipe).

forkknifespoon
from Cambridge, MA
/ 06.21.2015

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I'm looking forward to making this with the adaptations mentioned. I can't say for sure about the calorie count as I didn't notice it, but I did think about the huge amount of fat in the bottom of my turkey pan and how it goes straight into the sauce. I'm sure that's what makes it extra delicious, but we're not into killing ourselves. Lots of restaurant food is stuff you would not want to make regularly at home (e.g., mashed potatoes with a stick - yes, a stick - of butter per person! ;-)).

marin215
/ 11.30.2014

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These were fantastic, and were very easy to make. Even better, the moisture from the enchilada sauce saved my extremely overcooked, dry, turkey breast. I did not make the sauce as instructed in the recipe, instead opting to toss all the sauce ingredients in a crock pot on low overnight. I did not drain the tomatoes, and I added a couple of tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of chicken "Better than Bouillon" to add "drippings" to the mixture. Before going to sleep, I shredded the turkey and cheeses in a large bowl, which got refrigerated overnight. They next morning, I blended the sauce with an immersion blender, microwaved the tortillas, and assembled everything per the directions. The finished pans then went back into the fridge for baking later in the evening. Overall, this took no more than about 30 minutes of active cooking time. Well worth it for the amount of effort. For those concerned about calories, I think the calorie count is off, probably closer to 730 calories (cheese = 430, turkey = 110, tortilla = 140, sauce = 50?). I am a runner, so I tend to eat a lot. This made 8 large servings, so you could make 10 - 12 smaller servings.

fresnofoodie
from Portland, OR
/ 12.18.2013

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I made this with a roasted chicken from the grocery store and a more classic technique, sautéing the vegetables then adding the other ingredients and a cup of chicken broth and simmering till it thickened. I then used my immersion blender. This sauce is delicious and I can't believe the calorie count is this high. I made 1/2 recipe and ended up with 10 smaller enchiladas.

elfgirl47
from Inver Grove Heights, MN
/ 12.07.2013

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We did not make on t- day but put all in pan with defatted turkey drippings (probably source of high calorie count?). I did not like chili seeds/skins so put through food mill. It was marvelous and really easy. We will make again in large quantities to freeze. We visit our tortillaria and get corn tortillas right out of the oven and they are delicious. Layered it all more like lasagne. Use your own taste for amount of cheese as this recipe is so worth it!

Jdwebb
from Arkansas
/ 12.06.2013

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I did not make this on thanksgiving day and did not check calories. But, I put the ingredients in a pan with some turkey dripping that had been de-fatted (probably he source of the high calorie count?) and cooked for 2.5 hours at 325. Wow, it was fabulous. I did not like the consistency with the seeds and chili skins so ran it through my food mill to remove. The sauce was thick and very tasty and we will make again. We will make a lot and freeze or can as it will make a great casserole for chilly nights. We used local corn tortillas from our tortillaria and layered it more like lasagne. Used 1/3 the cheese. Don't look at the calorie count but use your own good sense -- it's worth it!

Jdwebb
from Arkansas
/ 12.06.2013

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The nutritional information has to be incorrect. That being said, it does call for 1 cup of grated cheese per serving, which is a huge amount. Still, if you use this amount it would average about 2400 for the cheese, and the rest of the ingredients can't amount to more than 1,000 and that is being generous. Which would bring it down to about 600 calories per serving.

phoebe16
/ 12.02.2013

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I made this, but with adaptations on hand...I was not organized enough to do this on T-day. Instead, I put the sauce ingredients in a roasting pan, added some extra broth and cooked at 450 for 45 minutes. Everything was nicely grilled. Then, I put it in a blender, as instructed and made the enchiladas. I used corn tortillas, a lot less cheese (just a sprinkling in the enchiladas and another light coating over the top). Baked and they came out well..spicy and tasty (and decidedly less than 2000 cals!). Overall, a nice way to do the sauce and it was very flavorful when cooked.

wilsonjackson
from Saint Paul, MN
/ 11.30.2013

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I put the ingredients into http://caloriecount.about.com/ and came up with 858 calories/40 grams of fat. Not great, but not 2,500 calories either...you can knock the calories down a lot by decreasing the cheese and not buttering the dish...6 cups of cheese for 6 servings in pretty decadent. I'm going to try this, but decrease the cheese.